“Wake Up” asks, “What are we fighting for?/You are my brothers/Each one I would die for” . . .
That obscenity-strewn cut also expresses a defeatist desire to surrender and die. Lead singer Jonathan Davis says he feels “like I’m God” despite an overwhelming hatred for everything and everyone (“No Way”). He flirts with suicide (“Falling Away from Me”), battles self-destructive demons (“Hey Daddy”), claims to have evil in his head (“Beg for Me”) and repeats that he feels like a whore (“Dirty”). On “Trash,” the artist finds young fans a sexual turn-on (“I see flesh and it smells fresh/And it’s there for the taking/These little girls . . . make me feel so g–d— exhilarated”). The f-word aggravates many of these already obnoxious tracks. Lyrics such as “Everyone I see is out to get me” and “I need to feel the sickness in you” reveal this band’s inner turmoil and bitterness.
USA Today noted, “Davis marinates in misery, preferring to submerge into rage, paranoia and loathing rather than reach for a lifeline.” Well put. No homicidal fantasies on this effort, but Korn steps up the despair and gives miserable young fans a dark place to wallow.
